The invention relates to the technical sector of so-called sectional doors, i.e. doors that include several panels which are joined to each other and capable of sliding along guide profiles to ensure opening or closing of various locations which may be transported or not transported, such as goods vehicles or garages or other storage premises.
The concept of sectional panel doors is well known in many closing applications and is described in particular in document U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,553 incorporated herein by reference in it's entirety. These doors are designed with a plurality of panels made of wood, metal, plastic or other material that are connected to each other thanks to special interlocking shapes which allow them to move along guide rails having several profiles allowing transition from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane or vice versa in order to obtain closing or opening permitting access to the desired location.
In the non-exhaustive example of sectional doors used to close lorries shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the guide rails are vertically fixed on uprights inside the platform of the vehicle chassis. These rails comprise a vertical part equivalent to the height of the opening and a radius of curvature with an extension as a horizontal rail part. The various panels of the door are made of wood, for example, and have matching rabbet profiles making it possible to fit a seal between the successive panel sections. In addition, there is provision at the ends of the upper panel, the lower panel and certain intermediate panels to position guide rollers capable of sliding in the running path formed on the rails. The rollers comprise a pin that is externally fixed to the section of the panels. This type of sectional door is described in particular in document GB-A-2 072 248.
Such doors of this design have many drawbacks. Firstly, the guide rollers are subjected to considerable stresses and they have to be replaced regularly. Once assembly has been completed, this change is relatively impractical. In addition, the panels are heavy and require powerful drive motors in order to move the door when opening or closing it. Also, it should be noted that any damage to one panel is extremely troublesome because this makes it necessary to disassemble the entire door rather than just the actual damaged panel.